New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1887-01-30
THE PLEBEIAN KHEDIVE.
CURIOUS ORIEN tai COMPOUND OFKNAvE
AND FOOL.

Unlike his father there is nothing regal or mposn
about him. and when used to sec him sitting on the
divan nearest to the window the Palace Of Abdeen
his short legs unable to reach the ground and his
fat little body swsying backward and forward IN
huge delight at the preparation Vt one Of bis excee d.
ingy feeble jokes, 1t required all the feelings OF
etiquette engendered by diplomatic training to
prevent my poking him 10 the ribs and slapping him
on the back. The son of a common Fellah slave CO.
cupying mental position In the Khedval household
who HAD momentary captivated' and subsequently,
Disguised old Ismai Pachs, Tewffk has little resem
bance to his half brothers. of the Legitimate wlves
who all of them give one the impression of being
gentlemen to the very tips Of their fingers Moreover
while the latter were educated at great expense in
London, Paris and Berlin, Tewfk, owing to his
fathers antipahy grewsup In obscurty without ever
going abroad and it is to this fact that many Of the
defects OF his character may be traced. bigoted
Mahometan, his religious views untempered by any
travel in Europe. he fortunately lacks the personal
courage become fanatic, and when it Ia borne in
mind that according to the Koran no believer Is bound
to keep faith with a Christian it will readily be un-
derstood what difficult man he Is to deal with.
The first time met him was in the spring OF 1879
at dinner given by his father, the Khedive Ismai.
had arrived rather early and was standing in the re-
cepon hall at the top of the stairs talking with Isms
when the grand master of the ceremonies suddenly
announced lie Prince iTeritier." Immediately after
ward an insignificant Hooking young with kind
of hunted look about his eyes shusd up to his father
humbly kissed the hem OF his coat, and then with his
hands crossed his breast retired to distant corner
Of the room followed by the contemptuous glance of
the old Khedive, who without returning single word
of greeting to bis went on talking with me- No
body at that time could foresee that 1smails deposit
ton was so near, and consequently was ole OF the
thatr uht a m lhnw
any courtesy to the young Prince During the follow
ing weeks / saw good deal OF him both officially and
socially. and l used to be considerably amused to
remark how at balls and receptions he would wander
through the rooms talking with the Europeans in the
most cJntemptuous way about the natives, and with
the latter In equally disagreeabe manner about the
former utterly oblivous OF the fact that natives and
Europeans subsequently compared notes on the sub
iect. Gifted with the innate Oriental taste tor in
trgue, of TIE wik's attempts at diplomacy have
been marked by similar childshness. One Cannot,
however blame him tor the tmid, hunted look about
his eyes, for his lite, especially during the last few
months preceding his fathers deposition, was IN great
danger have often wondered why Khedive Ismai
did not give vent to his hatred by putting him out of
the way az he did his powerful Finance Minister,
Sadyk Pacna, two years previously The latter after
supping with his sovereign one night disappeared
mysteriously and was in this world
leaving absolutely trace except semicireuar scar
on the lett hand OF handsome young chamberlain
who is reported to have had 1t bitten through whilst
in the act of strsngling the Minister 1t may be OF
interest 10 add that the whole Of the vanished Minis
ters vast wealth conscateG by his sovereign, and
that the handsome hamberlain holds the rank of
Minister OF Finance in the present Egyptian Cabinet.
When next saw Tewfk il in the autumn of
1883. His father in exile his brothers banished.
and the battle OF Tel Kebir had been fought. With
reference the latter personal acquaintance with
Arab and much discussion on the subject with both
natives and Europeans convince me that the Arab
movement was distinctly promoted and connived at in
it's earlier stages by TewHk. and that he only with
drew therefrom when he the hopelessness of the
cause. The true object Of Arabs instruction ap-
pears to have been entirely lost sight Of 1t dis
tinct movement Of Mahometans against Christians,
whom Arab promised to drive out of the country 1t
must be borne in mind that as usury is forbidden by
the Koran all the monoyenders and bloodsuckers In
Egypt are either Christians Jews and that owing
to their inability to pay the heavy taxes the starving
peasantry have been obliged to mortgage all their
land. Hence against the Christians, which by
driving them out of the country would thereby liqu
date all debts and mortgages, was exceedingly popular
with the natives, and thoroughly In accord with the
innermost feelings of the bigoted Khediye. His
sympathy with Arab Is proved by the fact that all of
his closer con6dants and adherents, and all tho rela
TO the arrival of the British troops in Egypt Arabf
a mere Fellah, but the fgurehead, and taking
into consideration the incredibly servie nature OF the
race would have dared to go far had he not
been assured of the Efendinas secret sympathy not
withstanding his official dsapproval. Without
turing to assert that all the charges of completely
which Lord Randolph Churchill made against fewfk
are in every detail The has hitherto declined to
withdraw them), undoubtedly they are not entirely
groundless. Ii is this official loyalty coupled with
private troachery this insane desire to be all things to
all men, which causes Tewfk to be absolutely without
a single devoted friend, either native or European
In December 1888, General Gordon had just been
most bitterly attacking him in the London press,
describing mis- a contemplate and unreliable
rightly it was The Pail Mil Gazette, v the Khedive
broke out into the bitterest abuse against Gordon,
was therefore my astonishment to learn the next
morning that he had just cabled to London earnestly
Gordon az being the only who could pacify the
Soudan. Officially procaiming the abandonment OF
his African provinces ana asmss d n P rfe
because he would not consent thereto he never ceased
to rail at tho measure and to express his private
disapproval thereof. Gordon reached Cairo on his
way to Khartoum on the 23d of January, 1884. In
the morning he saw the Khedve at great length and
received the fullest powers from him az Governor
accompanying the General to the depot and seeing him
with his scanty luggage, ms sat 1
accoutremen and hi. cigarettes on tne
ace Tewfik and l entered the room perceived,
greatly his disgust, Zebehr Pacha iordons bitter
eat enemy being smuggled out OF the audience
chamber Zebchr's favorite son had been put to
death by Gordon and this king of slave-traders had
sworn by all that was holy to be reyenged on him.
The old mans influence In tho African provinces. his
close connection with the great Senoussi brotherhood
Ito which Tewfk is likewise secretly affiliated and
The fact that although residing at Cairo he was tho
nrime mover of the Soudan nsurrecon, subsequently
became 80 clear that the English Government were
forced to seize him, and to ship him OIL to Gibraltar
where he still remains IN prison.
l,.,1r thatL & faith vna
r;cbt when he remarked to about his that no
had neither heart nor head" Not content with having
an official agent in England when the Liberals were
In mower ne was continually sending over secret
emissares generally blunt tools, to intrigue with the
Conservative and Of as soon as Lord
assumed the rens Of government, he attempted tho
. ittia lama with the Liberals Needless to add |